I read something recently about cowls being one of the best things to make, and I couldn’t agree more! I love knitting cowls and scarves and infinity scarves and shawls and cold weather accessories, and there are so many different ways to wear them. One of my favorite things I’ve ever made for myself was the Stockholm Scarf in a beautiful variegated teal in Berroco Ultra Alpaca. It’s a long and wide infinity scarf that wraps around twice and that is so comfortable and soft. I love it way too much (as if that’s possible!) and wear it as often as the temperature allows. My other favorite is something I finished recently, the Great Divide Shawl, a huge striped triangle shawl with a simple yo/slip stitch pattern, but the result is really lovely. And yet another favorite is the New Year’s Cowl, a new pattern on Ravelry from a woman who frequents the yarn store in the next town over from me. It’s a reversible cable and seed stitch cowl that I made in a gold-colored alpaca/merino blend yarn called Francesca from Lana Vida. Love love love them all!

I really just love things that can be worn around the neck, honestly. There are so many different patterns for them or you can design something all your own; they can be worn in so many different, wonderful ways; you can make them to be casual or dressy or somewhere in between; and you can make them any color you like, to match anything. (Really, this goes for all knitting, let’s be real.)

I’ve reopened my Etsy shop (here!) after neglecting it for a few months. Technically, I never closed it, but my listings expired without me realizing it, and I wanted to get everything back on the up and up juuuust in case there was someone on the site looking for something I have to offer. There’s not much - just three items: a hat, an infinity scarf, and a cowl - but it’s enough for a start. And since I’ve been knitting like mad recently (more than ever before), I’ve been designing my own shawls, and I’m excited to see how they turn out. I’ve been scrounging through stitch pattern books trying to find ones that I think would make sense for a shawl, and I think I’ve got a few good ones. I’m looking forward to it!